Co-Chair of the PPTA is here to speak about the 30th Te Wehengarua Māori Teachers’ Conference 2025 held on 6 – 8 July 2025 at the Sudima Hotel in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand.

The first formal Māori teachers emerged during the missionary period of the early 1800s, when Māori learned literacy in te reo Māori using the Bible and other religious texts. In many cases, Māori themselves became teachers in their own communities, educating tamariki in reading and writing.

However, by the mid-to-late 19th century, colonial policies shifted. The Native Schools Act 1867 established state-controlled schools in Māori communities. While intended to “civilise” Māori, these schools strictly enforced English-only policies. Many Māori teachers were demoted or excluded if they refused to abandon te reo Māori in the classroom.

By the early 20th century, the number of Māori teachers had dwindled as Pākehā educators dominated the system. Māori students were often streamed into manual and domestic training, and few Māori pursued teaching careers due to systemic racism, low pay, and lack of support.

Those who did become teachers often served as cultural navigators, unofficial social workers, and advocates for Māori students in a Eurocentric system. Some became community heroes – like Whina Cooper, who trained as a teacher but left to become a political activist, and Apirana Ngata, who championed Māori education at the policy level.

The turning point came in the 1970s, when the Māori renaissance sparked demands for culturally responsive education. Pioneering Māori educators, including Dame Kāterina Mataira, Sir Timoti Kāretu, and Graham and Linda Smith, led the charge to restore te reo Māori and validate mātauranga Māori in schools.

This era saw the birth of:

• Te Kōhanga Reo (1982)

• Kura Kaupapa Māori (1985)

• Wharekura and Wānanga (1990s)

Māori teachers were now central to a revolutionary model of education led by Māori, for Māori. New training pathways were created to grow a generation of reo-speaking, culturally grounded educators.

As of 2025:

• Māori teachers make up around 12% of the national teaching workforce, with numbers growing steadily.

• More Māori are entering initial teacher education through kaupapa Māori providers such as Te Wānanga o Raukawa, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and University of Waikato’s Māori-medium programmes.

• Te Ahu o te Reo Māori, a government initiative launched in 2020, has trained thousands of educators in te reo Māori.

Yet, challenges persist:

• Māori teachers report higher levels of burnout and cultural burden.

• Many schools lack support for Māori worldviews, even within bilingual or mainstream classrooms.

• Pay inequity, under-resourcing, and tokenism still affect retention.